United Nations (TDI): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that the world continues to grapple with unprecedented challenges but there are reasons for cautious optimism in 2025 – on a Gaza ceasefire, climate action, tackling inequality and harnessing AI for the public good.
In his traditional new year address to the General Assembly setting out his main priorities for the global organization, the UN chief acknowledged the turmoil around the world and conceded that it is understandable to get overwhelmed.
Nonetheless, Guterres urged delegates to never lose sight of progress and potential, underlining the ceasefire in Lebanon which is largely holding and the country recent election of a President, after a 2-year stalemate.
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Away from the world battlefields, the UN chief highlighted positive developments on climate action that reflect the UN commitment to combating global warming, as the world now invests almost twice as much in clean energy as it does in fossil fuels almost everywhere.
He said that solar and wind are now the cheapest sources of new electricity.
On health matters, more children are surviving today than ever before, the Secretary General insisted, before adding that HIV infections continue to dramatically decline, along with malaria mortality rates.
He described the United Nations as a force of construction that is always strengthening how it works and delivers, proving the maxim that international problems need global solutions.
Throughout the whole Middle East, we must deny extremists a veto over a peaceful future, he emphasized.
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Guterres announced he would be visiting to Lebanon later in the day, emboldened by recent positive developments there that could see Israelis and Lebanese forge a new and lasting era of peace and security.
Inequalities can be beaten, he stated, starting with accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals through multilateral reform on all fronts.
Scourge of Discrimination
He said the scourge of discrimination and hate speech was also fueling inequality.
This is even more important as guardrails around social media platforms are being dismantled, allowing disinformation and hate speech to run rampant, he added.
Referencing the worst fires engulfing the canyons of Los Angeles, the UN chief said everyday people around the world are suffering the deadly effects of a warming planet and extreme weather.
But here too, there are immense opportunities to reverse the damage and build on climate action such as renewable energy growth, a commitment to net zero and national plans to cut emissions.
